by Tiana Laveen
“But… you died!” Victor called out. “You died during the war!”
“I did not die. I was captured! At the time, we were fighting the Fernández Clan. It was a brutal battle… so many of our own met their demise! It was either stay away from my family, give up my throne, or you two would be in danger. You’d perish! They’d already killed your father and stolen your sister, Alainne! She killed herself soon thereafter to prevent from being their slave. I couldn’t have my only two living children murdered as well!”
She flung her cape around herself and floated back to the floor, covering part of her face. He hadn’t heard Alainne’s name in centuries…
“This is a personal matter. Let’s leave and give them time alone,” Queen Syà Wei stated in Chinese.
“No!” Alexandre hollered. “Everyone stays! You all have shown more loyalty to me today than this woman that birthed me!” Mother’s eyes glowed with wrath as she glared at him. “Let me tell you all what type of Vamp she is! She left me and my brother to fend for ourselves. We were not infants, but we were young, still in need of guidance and preparation. I had to teach myself how to survive… and teach my brother, too. We had to fight and kill all day long to prove ourselves worthy of staying in our own home. And then, I had to fight again and again to claim and secure the throne once I’d made it to age! I was an orphan… no one here to pass down the sword and the crown.”
“And you survived! That is what counts, Alexandre!”
“Survived? Do you have any idea what we endured?! The torture was endless, despite being of Royal blood! Some of our own family members, our own Coven, tested us, called our father weak for being killed in battle, and called our mother the same! They said we were not of good stock, that I wasn’t fit for the throne! I slaughtered day and night. I did it in part to clear my family name! To prove that the Marseille Clan was all that we were said to be in the glory days and more!”
“I HAD TO DISAPPEAR TO SAVE YOU!”
“YOU’RE A WARRIOR QUEEN. YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING BUT DEFEND THE THRONE!” he roared so loud, her hair blew from the sound of his voice. “You’re a Marseille. I don’t believe you… everything has been a lie.”
He reached into his pants pocket, pulled out a cigar, and lit it with his fingertip. The dark smoke billowed between them, forming foggy depictions of desires and fears… scurrying rats… vats of blood… silver swords… lust. All the fears he’d dined on for his entire existence, those he’d eaten up one after another like a delicious blood buffet. After a few moments of silence, his mother began to pace the floor. She appeared far less at ease, but that was fleeting. She cooled down quick, and her expression smoothed out.
He could hear her heartbeat, and her steps matched its rhythm. Her breaths echoed in his ears. Her demeanor was something he loved, something he hated. She looked at Venus and paused, stopping dead in her tracks.
He couldn’t deny that there appeared to be affection in her eyes towards his Bloodmate—the same way she used to look at him and his younger siblings, and their father, too.
“Alexandre, you were born to rule.” She snapped back in his direction, shoving her cloak out of the way as she made her way forward. “You were born to be okay, no matter what became of me and where I went. It is in your blood, it is in your training. It is your choice whether to believe me or not. I did what I needed to do to protect my family!” He slid his tongue down his right fang, licking it, picking up the remnants of his bloody breakfast. “A warrior protects their young offspring, even if it costs us everything! I was banished. It was made clear by the Fernández Clan that, should I attempt to come back to Paris, I would be killed and everyone else, too. At the time, they outnumbered us trifold! They wanted our resources. I watched you from a distance, my dear son.” Her voice quaked. “You defeated the Fernández Clan less than one century later!”
“You could have returned then! Where have you been all of this time?” Victor’s eyes darkened.
She kept her back straight, her fangs descended. “MY GREATEST MISTAKE!” She pointed at Victor. “You have no right to question me after the treacherous, treasonous acts you’ve committed against your own Coven member, your king, your very own blood brother! The eldest brother who protected you in your time of need!” Mother moved swiftly to stand before him, her milky bosom heaving up and down in her corseted gown, now partially exposed as her cape hung off her body. His brother didn’t flinch, but his anxiety coated the air, thick with burden. She slowly lifted her arm, then smacked him so hard across the face, it echoed throughout the place and brought him to his knees. He stayed down, his face averted.
“I curse you…” Victor stated with steel in his tone.
“And I curse you, too.” Mother turned away, her eyes now upon Alexandre.
“I want answers as well. Why are you here now, Mother? After all of this time?! Why didn’t you return after the war was over?” Alexandre took Venus in his arms, needing her close… something to stand between him and the woman he’d once revered but now detested.
“I was bound. It didn’t matter if millions of them existed or just one… and you being king made you even more of a target! I fought; believe me, I did. I would come in the dark of the night and watch you… but you rarely sleep, so my visits would always be far too short. So many times I wanted to kiss your cheek, soothe you when you were enraged, mad at the world. I ruled from a distance, my dear son. Something you do well, too. I had to come today. I found out what was happening… I always know what’s going on.” She narrowed her eyes on him. “Not only is Venus free, but you are free now, too…” Mother approached slowly, the crunch of broken glass under her feet now amplified. She sounded like a million men walking… the strength… the courage… the respect.
“Now I know why Venus is stronger and more powerful than the average Turned Vamp. Your blood runs through her. It’s almost unheard of for a Pure Blood to turn a human. I only have part of the story. I need the rest. Why did you turn her, then spend all of those years fostering her?”
Mother ran her hands over one another, pacing a bit, then stood still.
“The one way I could ensure that our bloodline stayed strong, resilient, was to ensure that you, my first born son, next in line for the throne, had the proper mate.” Venus looked at his mother, love in her eyes. “I was exiled, but still Queen, Alexandre, despite what the Fernández Clan had done to me. I endured years of torture as their captive! And I still defeated them, with my mind! I escaped and immediately took up my throne from a distance. That is how a true Queen rules, Venus.” She regarded his mate then turned back in his direction. “But I was fueled also by sweet revenge.
“My mate was dead, your father, the king. My kingdom was in disarray, but I knew I had taught my sons and daughters all that I could. With only two of my spawn left, it was up to them to rule France in a way that would make me and their father proud.” She turned to the Council. “I needed to take heed of what my son’s Sorcier Cadieux had predicted. It was no fable or tall tale. Sorcier Cadieux was one of the most powerful in all of Europe. He was rarely wrong about such things. He was born of a 7th witch mother from a power Coven in Ireland and 7th born warlock from Romania. Those are powers we do not possess; full psychic strength eludes us. So I did the next best thing: I befriended some sorceresses and necromancers who did have the power of the 3rd eye. I split my throat and Sorcier Cadieux took my blood, and I took his. It’s how I heard that prayer from an African slave woman secretly practicing Hoodoo… what her mother called rootwork conflicted with her newly found Christianity, but she wanted her baby to live!
“I did the unthinkable. I broke the pattern of what was once a contentious relationship with our indigenous occultist community, and created comradery. The right mate can mean life or death! And Venus is life, while we are the undead!” She turned to the Council. “Can’t you see? Being Pure Blood is irrelevant! We must adapt to the changing times and take advantage of anything that can benefit us! My grandchildren
will be stronger, not weaker!” She turned to Venus. “I needed to find you… you were the key. Come to me. Let me see you.”
Alexandre released her from his grip, and Venus walked promptly up to his mother. She looked over his bride from head to toe, running her fingers through her hair, smiling.
“You’ve gotten incredibly prettier and stronger since I last saw you… since I turned you loose, let you go. I know you were quite upset when I vanished, but it was time that I allow you to fulfill your mission, the very thing I’d educated and trained you to do… to be my son’s mate. I never told you that was your assignment. I needed you to find out on your own. Come, sit with me.” Mother took Venus’ hand and sat in the chair he’d been assigned during the court hearing. The seat was so wide, the two sat in it side by side, their fingers intertwined like loved ones do.
“I see your mother in your eyes.” Venus offered a sad smile. “Your mother was a woman of faith, Venus. She’d mixed Christianity, witchcraft, and a multitude of other belief systems, learned from her ancestors, so she could survive and have something to consider, something that would make a difference.”
“Did you hear her praying over me, just like I was told?”
“Yes. Right after you were born, when she first held you in her arms, she said a prayer under the full moon where she delivered you all by herself. I had been looking for you for what had felt like an eternity. I had no idea when you’d be born, if you were already born, nothing. I believed Sorcier Cadieux, though many believed I was foolish to do so. And then, just like that, he was proven right, long after his death. Once your mother said that prayer, I could sense you, Venus. I could smell your fresh blood of birth… I had finally found you. I had been living in South Carolina for longer than I ever wished, just to ensure that I wouldn’t miss you.
“I decided that since you were a slave, I would be a part of the underground railroad, and that would attract you to me once you became of age. But, I could not take you away from there. No, just like all the Marseille Clan Coven members, you had to prove you were worthy. You had to demonstrate that you were the one, that you were different. I felt you attempting your first escape, and you didn’t make it. I then sensed you making your second one, and you had to go the distance… You did. I could smell your fears, taste your desires. The closer you got to me, the harder it was for me to contain myself. I could not intervene. I had to allow you to make it all on your own.
“And I did.” Venus smiled before kissing his mistress on her cheek.
“Yes, you did. I was hard on you because I knew what you needed. I had to toughen you up. After all you had been through, the horrible violations and devastation of your family, your mind, your heart and your body, you remained far too compassionate and understanding. It boggled my mind to see how you could care for others still, and not be hardened. I can see in your eyes that that is still a problem, but you’ve improved.” Mother ran her hand along Venus’ chin. “You were destined to be my daughter-in-law, to give my first born strong, resilient, intelligent offspring. I—”
“You fools! What complete bullshit!” Victor stood to his full height as he approached Mother, this time, with a long sword in hand. “All of this to help save some Turned Vamp! As if there was no one else in the land that would qualify to fuck my brother and bear his seed! She’s not special! She’s an abomination, thanks to my mother and my brother! My mother turned her, giving her life, a rebirth, a baptism of Pure Blood! My brother has strengthened her even more by cumming inside of a slave Turned Vamp, training her for combat and feeding her from his neck and wrist repeatedly! Now she’s had not one, but two fucking Pure Bloods give her their essence! SHE’S A MONSTROSITY!”
Alexandre leisurely dropped his cigar and snuffed out the smolder with a mere blow of his lips. He bent down to pluck a piece of jagged window pane from the floor. He turned his back and tossed the glass over his shoulder. When Alexandre turned around, Victor was clutching his chest, his eyes bright red. With a grunt, he pulled the piece out of him and dropped it to the ground.
“You missed. Fucker.” Victor chuckled.
“I didn’t miss. Despite my anger, I refuse to kill my mother’s son in front of her eyes. I marked you… That’s to ensure that I can smell you better when you go into hiding and I go hunting. We both know deep down you’re afraid to fight me, a complete coward.”
Victor sliced the air with his sword, daring him.
Alexandre shook his head. “I’m not fighting you here. That’s what you want.”
“Who’s the true coward?” Victor cackled.
“You’re so naïve to my true nature, little brother. You think you know me, but you’ve barely scratched the surface. You felt my hesitation when I was choking you a while ago. It was only because I could sense Venus was close by. You were spared because I didn’t want her to see that, and not for the reasons you may imagine. But that was only temporary, a thing to settle once I could get you alone. Now, you want the insurance that I will not take you down in front of the matriarch should we battle and you lose.”
“You can’t beat me in a sword fight, Alexandre. You never could.”
“You’re a very good swordsman, Victor, but the hatred I have for you now will ensure that nothing you do or say from this point on would ever be enough to keep me from guaranteeing that you die, and die excruciatingly. I would kill you now,” he said with a shrug, “in front of all my friends. They’d enjoy it, I’m certain, but again, since Venus is here and she loves her mistress, doesn’t want to see her in distress, I will not. Venus has no love for you; it would hurt her to see you killed only because of our mother’s pain! Venus has saved you twice now. She cannot save you a third time.” His eyes narrowed on his brother. “I will see you later… you can count on it, mon frère.”
Victor disappeared back into the darkness. Soon, Alexandre heard a door open and close. He turned towards the Council members who were sitting in their seats, observing the scene.
“Judges, I understand that it has already been ruled that I am to lose my crown, title, home and position. I have not had an official appeal per se, but due to the—”
“Alexandre Marseille,” Judge Autin began, “this is highly unorthodox. Your family has, for years, kept France protected but today’s activities have been harrowing.”
“I understand that. My apologies. I was unaware that my mother was still alive.”
“As were we.” He looked over his shoulder at the woman, and his chest surged with heat. “An appeal within the next twenty-four hours will not be necessary.” Waves of applause and cheers could be heard. “One of the charges against you was in regard to your chosen mate… The fact that Venus Margaret Anderson was turned by a Royal Pure Blood, the Queen herself, overrides any ruling. It is more than evident at this time that Venus was pre-chosen, as seen by the stars in her eyes, the mark on her neck—your lover mark, claiming her as your very own, which has never fully healed—and the scent of her now mixed blood. Yet, we are presented with another issue. Now that the Queen is alive, there cannot be two Queens of France. Therefore, we suggest—”
“I officially relinquish my title and duties in favor of my soon to be daughter-in-law, Venus, once they are wed.”
Murmurs and gasps filled the air.
“Very well, Queen Geneviève. You will be noted as Queen Mother Geneviève after the marital ceremony between Alexandre and Venus is completed and the marriage has been consummated. In regard to the three murders of your brother’s servants, as well as the de-throating of his slave, there will be penalties. As a man of law, though those are not the laws that we follow, I am certain you can appreciate and understand this.”
“Yes, I understand that a crime against one’s spouse, slave or sibling, in our belief system, is a punishable crime.”
“Indeed. However, we are ruling that those actions were committed after Victor Marseille baited and beleaguered you and your mate… there was provocation. It is evident from his behavior after the rulin
g that his intentions were not pure, despite the evidence. He came to us earnestly, with a preponderance of evidence, and was quite convincing. Obviously, this new information changes our views regarding this matter and we are ruling accordingly.”
“What about Victor’s punishment?!” Venus hissed, marching towards the table. “All this time, you’ve condemned Alexandre even though his leadership was practically flawless. You took the word of his brother, a jealous and heavily hated man who’d not done a good job of hiding his true intentions at all, if you ask me!”
“But we didn’t ask you,” Judge Autin stated, a smug expression on his face.
“Well, I am tellin’ you anyway!” Alexandre heard Syà snicker. “You all sit up there like somebody is supposed to be scared of you and then when you’ve messed up, you won’t even apologize. Instead you opt to use big words to try and cover your shit! You can call me a freak of nature, a slave, a silly human, Turned Vamp bitch and all of that shit, I do not care! All of this time I waited, and I still have not heard anything in regard to dealing with the son of a bitch that almost ruined my fiancé’s life: his brother! What about him having me almost killed by three Bottom Feeders, huh? I know he is to blame for that. Is what Victor’s ass did not punishable by your laws?!”
Judge Autin’s eyes hooded.
“Venus, please sit down,” Mother urged, but Venus appeared rather pumped up, hot and bothered. Alexandre wasn’t even certain she’d heard her mistress, or cared enough in that moment to reel herself in. She had the floor, she’d earned it. He certainly wasn’t going to stop her, and should they attempt to do something to his mate, he’d turn that fucking place into a blood bath.
“Young woman, you are to never approach this table without permission. You—”
“You all sit there and judge everyone in here all day, every day! We’re blood suckers! Killers! I admire my mistress and my mate because they both know what they are and make no excuses for it. You are no better than Alexandre or Victor or anyone! You are no better than the bleeding heart humans you snub, see only as food, or the Satanically ruled Demons that work the grounds beneath your lair!” A wave of murmurs surged in the room, then quieted down so she could continue. “You took my fiancé’s crown away without even allowing me to speak on his behalf—hell, on my own behalf, and without digging further! It’s almost as if you wanted this to happen!”
